52 Weeks
by Wizardtho
Chapter 4:
As soon as we reach Caius’ rooms, I take the opportunity to use the restroom while he starts our fire. Looking into the mirror after I wash my hands, I can’t help but notice the flush in my cheeks. My fingers trace my slightly swollen lips, remembering that amazing kiss. I want more… more of his strong yet tender touch, more of those desire-filled kisses, more of the way he looks at me, more of our open and honest talks… just MORE. With that in mind, I make my way back to the sitting room.
The sight I’m greeted with is truly sexy beyond words. Caius has rolled his sleeves to just below his elbows, unbuttoned the first several buttons of his shirt, and is pouring me a glass of wine. His eyes lift to mine as I enter the room, a gorgeous smile lighting his face. “Sulpicia, Aro’s mate, left a note and snack for you.”
He hands me a slip of paper from the low table in front of the couch, so I open it to read the elegant script:
Isabella,
I could not wait to meet you, once my Aro gave me word of your stay. It is exciting to finally have another Lady in the castle. I had hoped to catch up with you in the gardens, but upon seeing you were sharing an intimate moment with Caius, I decided that Aro was right. Your first night together should not be interrupted by others. Please, enjoy the snack I have had Chef fix for you. I hope it is to your liking, and that you thoroughly enjoy your first night in Volterra.
Sincerely,
Sulpicia
I smile as I place the note back on the table, then lift the lid to the tray. On it, is a platter full of the most decadent looking chocolate covered strawberries. At my moan of delight, Caius wraps an arm around me from behind, then kisses my neck, “I take it you are pleased, Sweetling?”
I chuckle as I turn to place a light kiss on his lips, gliding my fingers along his soft facial hair, “Very. I am a dedicated chocolate lover. Unfortunately, chocolate seems to love my hips just as much.”
He scowls as he looks down, then massages said hips in his hands as he leans in enough to whisper, “Isabella, I happen to be quite fond of these hips, so, please… indulge away.”
He steps back enough to catch my gaze. I bite my lip as a blush creeps over my skin, unaccustomed to such compliments. In response, Caius sets the platter of strawberries on a side table with my wine, then sits down before gently guiding me onto his lap.
I settle with a knee on either side of his hips, one of his hands coming directly to settle back on my hip. I can’t help but smile as he picks up a strawberry and offers it to me. As I bite into the juicy fruit, his eyes are trained on my mouth, the tip of his tongue peeking out between his barely parted lips.
I chuckle as I swallow the bite in my mouth, unable to let this moment pass, “You truly do have an unhealthy fixation on my lips, don’t you?”
He shakes his head, as if to clear it, then groans as he captures my lips in a teasing kiss. He hums as he pulls back to offer me the rest of the strawberry, “It is entirely healthy, as I’ve sworn before. You just have not had the opportunity to feel all of the health benefits of my addiction to your perfect lips yet.”
I chuckle and shake my head, deciding to change the topic as I finish the offered strawberry. “Mmm… delicious. So, we’ve covered that you only remember a few things of your human time. You were 25 when changed; your village was in Greece; you remember having a lover as a human; and that Aro, Marcus, and Didyme were who saved you when your village was ravaged by werewolves. What happened after you woke?”
He picked another strawberry from the platter, offering it to me while saying, “They explained what I had become, and guided me through my newborn phase. We tracked the movement of the beasts for several years, usually only able to kill small groups. Then finally, we tracked one of the small groups back to the main nest. It took many nights of planning, but finally, we had a chance to rid of the foul creatures… a chance to avenge both my and Aro’s villages. We were able to slay 9/10ths of their ranks, including the leader, while the others fled in every different direction.”
I feel a large amount of satisfaction at hearing the werewolf leader was slain, and let out a heavy breath. “Good. I’m glad you got the leader. You said they are all but extinct now? So there aren’t many left?”
He nods, cupping my cheek, “Rarely, we will hear of one, and will send a contingent to take care of the issue. At those times, any of the three of us will head the contingent, to make sure all traces are dealt with, and no one who has been bitten lives to turn.”
Caius is able to feed me all but 3 of the once full platter -as we talk of his travels and early experiences- before I have to decline. “Mmm, no more. Thank you, they were truly delicious, but I’m full. I couldn’t stand another bite.”
He hums, licks my lips, then says, “Enough about me for tonight. I am more interested in you, Isabella. Tell me about your life?”
I settle with my forearms on his chest as he leans back against the arm of the couch. “I was born in a really small town in Washington. I have a down to earth father, Charlie, who is the chief of police. Renee is my flighty, never satisfied mother. She couldn’t stand that my father loved the small-town life, that he didn’t need anything more than that rainy little town and us to be content, so she chose to leave with me when I was a toddler. We moved around for a bit before we settled in Phoenix, Arizona. That’s where I grew up, but I’d spend some time each summer with my dad.
“The two summers before I moved back to Forks with Charlie, I didn’t see him, though. My mom got remarried the first summer to a minor league baseball player named Phil. They couldn’t take time away for their honeymoon, with school starting back up and his baseball schedule, though. That’s when Renee got this wild idea that a family vacation in Mexico was just what the next summer would consist of.”
I shook my head, remembering, “I got sick… food poisoning. It ruined the whole trip for me. For Phil, too, since he was so worried about me. My mom, well, one second she would be fussing over me, and the next second something shiny or pretty would catch her eye. I honestly think she has ADHD, but she would never get tested for it. She came back home believing sombrero hats were going to be ‘all the rage’ in the new yoga class she had signed up for. Needless to say, they were not.”
Caius laughs as he brushes a lock of hair behind my ear, “Has she always been like this?”
I nod in response, chuckling, “Oh, yeah. Tarot card reading, knitting circles, yoga, book of the month clubs, strip dance aerobics, homeopathic remedies… once she even signed us both up for a nude art for beginners course. I was 14, Caius, and couldn’t dissuade her no matter how much I tried. Thankfully, the teacher explained it to her before she had the male model disrobe. I could not take the course, as it clearly stated I had to be 18 in the forms.”
His eyes widen, then he laughs as he buries his head in my chest. I can’t help but grin as he gasps between chuckles, “Truly? Oh, Sweetling, how embarrassing that must have been!”
I love his laugh… genuine and heartfelt. It warms my entire being, hearing it.
I nod as he settles down, smiling as I trace the small creases at the corners of his eyes, “Yeah, it was, but I’m used to that with her. She’s settled down a lot with Phil, though. He is really good with her and can talk her out of her more ‘out there’ ideas. She likes traveling with him, too. I could see how depressed she was becoming during his away trips, which was why I decided to move to Washington during my junior year of high school. She was only staying because of me. I wanted her to be happy, plus my dad hadn’t had the chance to have me living with him since I was tiny. I knew if I didn’t do it soon, the opportunity would pass. I knew soon I would be leaving for college, then a career and house of my own.”
I shrug, not knowing how else to explain it. In response, Caius wraps his long fingers around the back of my neck, then guides my face to his, capturing me into a surprisingly tender kiss. “You are amazing, Isabella. A very caring soul. Tell me more?”
With that, I settle my head on his chest before offering, “I was intrigued by the Cullens the very first time I saw them, which was at lunch during my first day at Forks High. They were the beautiful untouchables; the envy of everyone who laid eyes on them. Five children, supposedly all adopted, yet they had the same golden color of eyes. That was my first clue, though they explained it away as part of a health condition.”
Caius rose an eyebrow at that, but I continue, “Yeah, you’ll hear a lot more of that type of thing, and I have so much I want to say when Aro is done.”
I shake my head at getting off track, then offer, “Anyway, I had my next class after lunch with Edward, which was a complete disaster. He acted as if I was enemy #1 during the whole class, giving me dirty looks or practically gouging his nails in the table in front of him. After nearly jumping from his seat next to me as soon as the bell rang, I didn’t see him again for a week, but his ‘siblings’ would shoot me these knowing looks. I had no clue what their deal was at the time.
“The next clue was after Edward showed back up at school. A van came skidding across the parking lot after hitting a patch of black ice. One second, I see Edward with his family, clear across the lot. In the next second, he’s rolling me under the back end of my truck as he literally stops the van from crushing me with his hand. That was explained as an adrenaline rush and him already being on his way toward my location. I knew what I had seen, but apparently, when I bumped my head they thought they could claim head trauma and the scare of the accident as the difference in the stories. I never spoke of what truly happened to anyone but them, though that’s what Edward gave me as a veiled threat, should I have said anything.”
Caius groans in response, “Hold on… so you are telling me that he basically threatened to discredit you among your peers? All while explaining that he saved you from clear across a parking lot because of an adrenaline rush? Does the boy not have a single brain cell in his head?”
I chuckle, “Oh, that’s only the beginning. He started talking to me after that, initiating the conversations, yet telling me in the same breath that I should stay away from him. At one point, I told him his mood swings were going to give me whiplash. He was a puzzle to me, though, one I was determined to solve.”
I lift my head, take a sip of my wine, then resume my former position with my head on my forearms, facing him. “I researched at night in my room, using my computer to put the little clues together. Fast as lightning, eyes that change color… I didn’t have enough to put it all together, but a book I found online sounded promising. That’s why, when one of my classmates asked me to go dress shopping with her and some others in Port Angeles, I decided to go. That was where the bookstore was that had the book I wanted. Unfortunately, on my way to meet back up with them from the bookstore, I got myself turned around. Some creepy guys ended up tailing me, then ultimately cornering me. Out of the blue, Edward’s car screams to a stop, and he tells me to get in.”
We talk a bit more about Port Angeles as well as the rest of my research, then I tell him about Edward following me to the woods behind the school, and me telling him I knew what he was. “Wait, so you actually told him you weren’t scared of him? My brave little warrior,” Caius chuckles before placing a light kiss to my lips.
I smile in response, “Yeah, I know. I have a danger magnet attached to my ass or something. Hanging around with vampires will keep life exciting, that’s for sure. If I’m not being chased away from Washington by a psychotic tracker vamp who wants to eat me, I’m running to Italy to save my brain cell-deficient ex from killing himself, which puts a human me directly in vamp headquarters.”
Caius freezes at that, then seems to scan every visible surface of my skin before he takes hold of my bitten wrist. Brushing his thumb across the mark, his voice is slightly shaky as he asks, “This… is it from him? The psychotic tracker? How did you live through a vampire bite? I am missing many details of this time, aren’t I?”
I sigh, “Yeah, but only because we haven’t gotten that far yet. It was after I met the rest of Edward’s family, and he met my dad. They were going to play baseball in a field, seeing as the coming storm would provide cover. I was helping Esme referee the game when all of a sudden Alice stilled and went into a vision. Three nomads had been heading away from the area when they heard the sounds of the game and decided to investigate. The Cullens didn’t have time to get me away safely before the nomads showed up. The leader, James, he was the tracker. He had a male and a female with him. Laurent and Victoria. James was sadistic, really twisted, Caius. He creeped me out from the second he walked onto that field, yet not even walking into a castle full of human-eating vamps made me feel that way.
“Anyway, calling me a snack provoked the family to defend me, telling the nomads basically that I was with them and not on the menu. That just pissed James off, so he made me his newest game. Edward caught his thoughts as he rushed me off the field a bit later, after Carlisle diffused the situation, however briefly.”
Caius tightens his arms around me slightly, searching my eyes, but not saying a word. “The family split up. Some to plant a decoy, some to protect my father, while Alice and Jasper ran me south. We didn’t think James would believe I was separated from Edward, so he stayed as part of the decoy. They were going to lead him on a false chase through the woods and into a trap, but it didn’t work. He found out the decoy was false somehow, then he tracked me to Phoenix. He called my cell from my mom’s place, saying he had her and would let her go if I gave myself in trade. To get away from my guards and meet him at my old ballet studio.”
I backtrack to explain a bit more. “See, Renee and Phil had just recently moved to Jacksonville, but still had a bunch of things at the Phoenix house, so there was a big possibility that she was actually there. When we went to the airport to wait for the rest of the family to show up, I took my chance. I slipped into one side of the restroom and out the other, sneaking away from Jasper and Alice. James never had my mom. He used the home videos as not only his way to make me think he had my mom, but also his inspiration for taping my torture.”
At this, Caius tightens his hold on me and growls low, looking around the room. I lightly scratch the scruff of his cheek, which quiets his growl. Once his gaze meets mine, I offer, “He’s ash, Caius. James is dead and can’t hurt me anymore. Jasper ripped his head from his shoulders and lit the whole studio aflame, with James’ head as the starting point. Do you want me to continue, or should I stop?”
He seems to take a moment to let my words sink in, then lets out a breath. His voice still contains a bit of growl as he grounds out, “Continue… please.”
“He taunted me once I was there, telling me I was just Edward’s plaything… just a pet. He detailed how he was going to play with me, drain me, then leave the video for the Cullens to watch. He threw me against the mirrored wall, causing the glass to cut me all up, and a large shard to lodge near my femoral artery. He wanted me to beg for Edward to save me. It pissed him off that I wouldn’t, so he stomped on my leg, snapping the bone like a twig. After throwing me around and taunting me more, he was going to end it. Just as he bit me, Edward -who was the fastest of the family- made it to the studio.
“He threw James off me, fought him until the others came. The burn had already started, and there was so much blood covering me, that they didn’t notice I was bitten at first. Carlisle was frantic trying to get the bleeding stopped from the shard in my leg, all while Edward checked me over for more injuries. He screamed at Carlisle when he found the bite, begging him to tell him how to stop it. I remember my vision going in and out from the blood loss and pain, but clearly seeing a black-eyed Jasper ripping James’ head off just as Edward bit into my wrist over James’ bite. He sucked the venom-tainted blood from me, but between being his singer and the blood loss from my wounds, I had lost too much. I was in the hospital for almost a month to recover.”
As soon as we reach Caius’ rooms, I take the opportunity to use the restroom while he starts our fire. Looking into the mirror after I wash my hands, I can’t help but notice the flush in my cheeks. My fingers trace my slightly swollen lips, remembering that amazing kiss. I want more… more of his strong yet tender touch, more of those desire-filled kisses, more of the way he looks at me, more of our open and honest talks… just MORE. With that in mind, I make my way back to the sitting room.
The sight I’m greeted with is truly sexy beyond words. Caius has rolled his sleeves to just below his elbows, unbuttoned the first several buttons of his shirt, and is pouring me a glass of wine. His eyes lift to mine as I enter the room, a gorgeous smile lighting his face. “Sulpicia, Aro’s mate, left a note and snack for you.”
He hands me a slip of paper from the low table in front of the couch, so I open it to read the elegant script:
Isabella,
I could not wait to meet you, once my Aro gave me word of your stay. It is exciting to finally have another Lady in the castle. I had hoped to catch up with you in the gardens, but upon seeing you were sharing an intimate moment with Caius, I decided that Aro was right. Your first night together should not be interrupted by others. Please, enjoy the snack I have had Chef fix for you. I hope it is to your liking, and that you thoroughly enjoy your first night in Volterra.
Sincerely,
Sulpicia
I smile as I place the note back on the table, then lift the lid to the tray. On it, is a platter full of the most decadent looking chocolate covered strawberries. At my moan of delight, Caius wraps an arm around me from behind, then kisses my neck, “I take it you are pleased, Sweetling?”
I chuckle as I turn to place a light kiss on his lips, gliding my fingers along his soft facial hair, “Very. I am a dedicated chocolate lover. Unfortunately, chocolate seems to love my hips just as much.”
He scowls as he looks down, then massages said hips in his hands as he leans in enough to whisper, “Isabella, I happen to be quite fond of these hips, so, please… indulge away.”
He steps back enough to catch my gaze. I bite my lip as a blush creeps over my skin, unaccustomed to such compliments. In response, Caius sets the platter of strawberries on a side table with my wine, then sits down before gently guiding me onto his lap.
I settle with a knee on either side of his hips, one of his hands coming directly to settle back on my hip. I can’t help but smile as he picks up a strawberry and offers it to me. As I bite into the juicy fruit, his eyes are trained on my mouth, the tip of his tongue peeking out between his barely parted lips.
I chuckle as I swallow the bite in my mouth, unable to let this moment pass, “You truly do have an unhealthy fixation on my lips, don’t you?”
He shakes his head, as if to clear it, then groans as he captures my lips in a teasing kiss. He hums as he pulls back to offer me the rest of the strawberry, “It is entirely healthy, as I’ve sworn before. You just have not had the opportunity to feel all of the health benefits of my addiction to your perfect lips yet.”
I chuckle and shake my head, deciding to change the topic as I finish the offered strawberry. “Mmm… delicious. So, we’ve covered that you only remember a few things of your human time. You were 25 when changed; your village was in Greece; you remember having a lover as a human; and that Aro, Marcus, and Didyme were who saved you when your village was ravaged by werewolves. What happened after you woke?”
He picked another strawberry from the platter, offering it to me while saying, “They explained what I had become, and guided me through my newborn phase. We tracked the movement of the beasts for several years, usually only able to kill small groups. Then finally, we tracked one of the small groups back to the main nest. It took many nights of planning, but finally, we had a chance to rid of the foul creatures… a chance to avenge both my and Aro’s villages. We were able to slay 9/10ths of their ranks, including the leader, while the others fled in every different direction.”
I feel a large amount of satisfaction at hearing the werewolf leader was slain, and let out a heavy breath. “Good. I’m glad you got the leader. You said they are all but extinct now? So there aren’t many left?”
He nods, cupping my cheek, “Rarely, we will hear of one, and will send a contingent to take care of the issue. At those times, any of the three of us will head the contingent, to make sure all traces are dealt with, and no one who has been bitten lives to turn.”
Caius is able to feed me all but 3 of the once full platter -as we talk of his travels and early experiences- before I have to decline. “Mmm, no more. Thank you, they were truly delicious, but I’m full. I couldn’t stand another bite.”
He hums, licks my lips, then says, “Enough about me for tonight. I am more interested in you, Isabella. Tell me about your life?”
I settle with my forearms on his chest as he leans back against the arm of the couch. “I was born in a really small town in Washington. I have a down to earth father, Charlie, who is the chief of police. Renee is my flighty, never satisfied mother. She couldn’t stand that my father loved the small-town life, that he didn’t need anything more than that rainy little town and us to be content, so she chose to leave with me when I was a toddler. We moved around for a bit before we settled in Phoenix, Arizona. That’s where I grew up, but I’d spend some time each summer with my dad.
“The two summers before I moved back to Forks with Charlie, I didn’t see him, though. My mom got remarried the first summer to a minor league baseball player named Phil. They couldn’t take time away for their honeymoon, with school starting back up and his baseball schedule, though. That’s when Renee got this wild idea that a family vacation in Mexico was just what the next summer would consist of.”
I shook my head, remembering, “I got sick… food poisoning. It ruined the whole trip for me. For Phil, too, since he was so worried about me. My mom, well, one second she would be fussing over me, and the next second something shiny or pretty would catch her eye. I honestly think she has ADHD, but she would never get tested for it. She came back home believing sombrero hats were going to be ‘all the rage’ in the new yoga class she had signed up for. Needless to say, they were not.”
Caius laughs as he brushes a lock of hair behind my ear, “Has she always been like this?”
I nod in response, chuckling, “Oh, yeah. Tarot card reading, knitting circles, yoga, book of the month clubs, strip dance aerobics, homeopathic remedies… once she even signed us both up for a nude art for beginners course. I was 14, Caius, and couldn’t dissuade her no matter how much I tried. Thankfully, the teacher explained it to her before she had the male model disrobe. I could not take the course, as it clearly stated I had to be 18 in the forms.”
His eyes widen, then he laughs as he buries his head in my chest. I can’t help but grin as he gasps between chuckles, “Truly? Oh, Sweetling, how embarrassing that must have been!”
I love his laugh… genuine and heartfelt. It warms my entire being, hearing it.
I nod as he settles down, smiling as I trace the small creases at the corners of his eyes, “Yeah, it was, but I’m used to that with her. She’s settled down a lot with Phil, though. He is really good with her and can talk her out of her more ‘out there’ ideas. She likes traveling with him, too. I could see how depressed she was becoming during his away trips, which was why I decided to move to Washington during my junior year of high school. She was only staying because of me. I wanted her to be happy, plus my dad hadn’t had the chance to have me living with him since I was tiny. I knew if I didn’t do it soon, the opportunity would pass. I knew soon I would be leaving for college, then a career and house of my own.”
I shrug, not knowing how else to explain it. In response, Caius wraps his long fingers around the back of my neck, then guides my face to his, capturing me into a surprisingly tender kiss. “You are amazing, Isabella. A very caring soul. Tell me more?”
With that, I settle my head on his chest before offering, “I was intrigued by the Cullens the very first time I saw them, which was at lunch during my first day at Forks High. They were the beautiful untouchables; the envy of everyone who laid eyes on them. Five children, supposedly all adopted, yet they had the same golden color of eyes. That was my first clue, though they explained it away as part of a health condition.”
Caius rose an eyebrow at that, but I continue, “Yeah, you’ll hear a lot more of that type of thing, and I have so much I want to say when Aro is done.”
I shake my head at getting off track, then offer, “Anyway, I had my next class after lunch with Edward, which was a complete disaster. He acted as if I was enemy #1 during the whole class, giving me dirty looks or practically gouging his nails in the table in front of him. After nearly jumping from his seat next to me as soon as the bell rang, I didn’t see him again for a week, but his ‘siblings’ would shoot me these knowing looks. I had no clue what their deal was at the time.
“The next clue was after Edward showed back up at school. A van came skidding across the parking lot after hitting a patch of black ice. One second, I see Edward with his family, clear across the lot. In the next second, he’s rolling me under the back end of my truck as he literally stops the van from crushing me with his hand. That was explained as an adrenaline rush and him already being on his way toward my location. I knew what I had seen, but apparently, when I bumped my head they thought they could claim head trauma and the scare of the accident as the difference in the stories. I never spoke of what truly happened to anyone but them, though that’s what Edward gave me as a veiled threat, should I have said anything.”
Caius groans in response, “Hold on… so you are telling me that he basically threatened to discredit you among your peers? All while explaining that he saved you from clear across a parking lot because of an adrenaline rush? Does the boy not have a single brain cell in his head?”
I chuckle, “Oh, that’s only the beginning. He started talking to me after that, initiating the conversations, yet telling me in the same breath that I should stay away from him. At one point, I told him his mood swings were going to give me whiplash. He was a puzzle to me, though, one I was determined to solve.”
I lift my head, take a sip of my wine, then resume my former position with my head on my forearms, facing him. “I researched at night in my room, using my computer to put the little clues together. Fast as lightning, eyes that change color… I didn’t have enough to put it all together, but a book I found online sounded promising. That’s why, when one of my classmates asked me to go dress shopping with her and some others in Port Angeles, I decided to go. That was where the bookstore was that had the book I wanted. Unfortunately, on my way to meet back up with them from the bookstore, I got myself turned around. Some creepy guys ended up tailing me, then ultimately cornering me. Out of the blue, Edward’s car screams to a stop, and he tells me to get in.”
We talk a bit more about Port Angeles as well as the rest of my research, then I tell him about Edward following me to the woods behind the school, and me telling him I knew what he was. “Wait, so you actually told him you weren’t scared of him? My brave little warrior,” Caius chuckles before placing a light kiss to my lips.
I smile in response, “Yeah, I know. I have a danger magnet attached to my ass or something. Hanging around with vampires will keep life exciting, that’s for sure. If I’m not being chased away from Washington by a psychotic tracker vamp who wants to eat me, I’m running to Italy to save my brain cell-deficient ex from killing himself, which puts a human me directly in vamp headquarters.”
Caius freezes at that, then seems to scan every visible surface of my skin before he takes hold of my bitten wrist. Brushing his thumb across the mark, his voice is slightly shaky as he asks, “This… is it from him? The psychotic tracker? How did you live through a vampire bite? I am missing many details of this time, aren’t I?”
I sigh, “Yeah, but only because we haven’t gotten that far yet. It was after I met the rest of Edward’s family, and he met my dad. They were going to play baseball in a field, seeing as the coming storm would provide cover. I was helping Esme referee the game when all of a sudden Alice stilled and went into a vision. Three nomads had been heading away from the area when they heard the sounds of the game and decided to investigate. The Cullens didn’t have time to get me away safely before the nomads showed up. The leader, James, he was the tracker. He had a male and a female with him. Laurent and Victoria. James was sadistic, really twisted, Caius. He creeped me out from the second he walked onto that field, yet not even walking into a castle full of human-eating vamps made me feel that way.
“Anyway, calling me a snack provoked the family to defend me, telling the nomads basically that I was with them and not on the menu. That just pissed James off, so he made me his newest game. Edward caught his thoughts as he rushed me off the field a bit later, after Carlisle diffused the situation, however briefly.”
Caius tightens his arms around me slightly, searching my eyes, but not saying a word. “The family split up. Some to plant a decoy, some to protect my father, while Alice and Jasper ran me south. We didn’t think James would believe I was separated from Edward, so he stayed as part of the decoy. They were going to lead him on a false chase through the woods and into a trap, but it didn’t work. He found out the decoy was false somehow, then he tracked me to Phoenix. He called my cell from my mom’s place, saying he had her and would let her go if I gave myself in trade. To get away from my guards and meet him at my old ballet studio.”
I backtrack to explain a bit more. “See, Renee and Phil had just recently moved to Jacksonville, but still had a bunch of things at the Phoenix house, so there was a big possibility that she was actually there. When we went to the airport to wait for the rest of the family to show up, I took my chance. I slipped into one side of the restroom and out the other, sneaking away from Jasper and Alice. James never had my mom. He used the home videos as not only his way to make me think he had my mom, but also his inspiration for taping my torture.”
At this, Caius tightens his hold on me and growls low, looking around the room. I lightly scratch the scruff of his cheek, which quiets his growl. Once his gaze meets mine, I offer, “He’s ash, Caius. James is dead and can’t hurt me anymore. Jasper ripped his head from his shoulders and lit the whole studio aflame, with James’ head as the starting point. Do you want me to continue, or should I stop?”
He seems to take a moment to let my words sink in, then lets out a breath. His voice still contains a bit of growl as he grounds out, “Continue… please.”
“He taunted me once I was there, telling me I was just Edward’s plaything… just a pet. He detailed how he was going to play with me, drain me, then leave the video for the Cullens to watch. He threw me against the mirrored wall, causing the glass to cut me all up, and a large shard to lodge near my femoral artery. He wanted me to beg for Edward to save me. It pissed him off that I wouldn’t, so he stomped on my leg, snapping the bone like a twig. After throwing me around and taunting me more, he was going to end it. Just as he bit me, Edward -who was the fastest of the family- made it to the studio.
“He threw James off me, fought him until the others came. The burn had already started, and there was so much blood covering me, that they didn’t notice I was bitten at first. Carlisle was frantic trying to get the bleeding stopped from the shard in my leg, all while Edward checked me over for more injuries. He screamed at Carlisle when he found the bite, begging him to tell him how to stop it. I remember my vision going in and out from the blood loss and pain, but clearly seeing a black-eyed Jasper ripping James’ head off just as Edward bit into my wrist over James’ bite. He sucked the venom-tainted blood from me, but between being his singer and the blood loss from my wounds, I had lost too much. I was in the hospital for almost a month to recover.”